Best VPN for torrenting: 6 picks compared

A torrenting VPN has one job a normal VPN doesn’t: keep your real IP address out of the swarm even when the connection fails, and let you seed properly. That comes down to four checkable things — a VPN kill switch, P2P-friendly servers, port forwarding, and a no-logs policy an outside auditor has examined. We ranked the six picks below on those four, plus the renewal prices the checkout pages don’t lead with. Our picks across every use case live in our full VPN rankings; this page is only about torrenting.

How the six compare

Six torrenting VPNs at a glance, as of 23 Jul 2026

VPN	Best for	Port forwarding	Protocols	No-logs audit	Refund
NordVPN	Most torrenters	No, per Tom's Guide	NordLynx (WireGuard-based), OpenVPN	Deloitte, 2025	30 days
Private Internet Access	Seeding and port forwarding	Yes, per vpnMentor and Gizmodo	WireGuard, OpenVPN	Deloitte Audit Romania, 2025	30 days
Proton VPN	Public audits	Yes, per review roundups	WireGuard, OpenVPN, Stealth	Securitum, 2026 — published in full	30 days
Mullvad	Anonymity	No — removed 2023	WireGuard only	Cure53 infrastructure audit, 2024	14 days
Surfshark	Unlimited devices on a budget	Not stated in our sources	WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN	Deloitte, 2025	30 days
CyberGhost	Longest refund window	Not stated in our sources	WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2	Deloitte Audit Romania, 2025	45 days (14 on monthly)

One sourcing note. Only Mullvad documents its port-forwarding status on its own site — it removed the feature in May 2023. For the rest, the yes/no calls above come from named review roundups (PCMag, Tom’s Guide, vpnMentor, Gizmodo), because the vendors’ own pages don’t state it plainly. Where none of our sources say either way, the table says so instead of guessing.

1. NordVPN — best for most torrenters

NordVPN wins on the combination that matters most often: a fast protocol, a deep audit record, and P2P support across the network. PC World reports that all of its servers work with P2P traffic, and multiple roundups, including PCMag and PC World, rank it the fastest or among the fastest for torrenting — its NordLynx protocol is built on WireGuard and gained post-quantum encryption in 2025. The trust side holds up too: RAM-only servers, a Panama base that its no-logs page says has no data-retention laws applying to VPN providers, and a sixth independent no-logs verification by Deloitte, with the report issued on 12 Dec 2025. One transparency gap: that report is only readable from inside a Nord account.

Two caveats. Tom’s Guide says NordVPN has no port forwarding, so heavy seeders behind strict NAT may struggle to hold good upload speeds. And the pricing is intro-rate: $3.49 a month means $94.23 for the first 27 months, then renewal at $139.08 a year — the steepest jump of the six. NordVPN covers 10 devices and has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

2. Private Internet Access — best for seeding and port forwarding

If you seed — especially on ratio-tracking private trackers — port forwarding is the feature mainstream lists underweight, and PIA is the clearest yes: vpnMentor and Gizmodo both credit it with port forwarding and advanced torrenting controls. The rest of the spec fits torrenting well: unlimited simultaneous connections, RAM-only servers, WireGuard and OpenVPN, and a no-logs policy audited three times by Deloitte Audit Romania (2022, 2024, 2025). PIA also says its no-logs stance was proven in court, with subpoenas producing no data — that part is the vendor’s own claim; the Deloitte reports are the independent part.

The catch is jurisdiction. PIA Private Internet Access, Inc. is a US company under Colorado law, and the US is a Five Eyes member — the trade-off anonymity-first torrenters won’t accept. Its own pages also disagree on network size: the homepage claims 90 countries while the live server list shows 50. At $2.03 a month for the first 39 months (about $79), renewing at $79 every three years, Private Internet Access is the cheapest long-term option here. The full Private Internet Access review covers the fine print.

3. Proton VPN — best for public audits

No provider on this list shows its work like Proton. All of its apps are open source, and its no-logs infrastructure audits — five consecutive annual audits by Securitum, through 2026 — are published in full where anyone can read them. NordVPN and Surfshark, by contrast, gate their Deloitte reports behind a customer login. Proton is a Swiss company (Proton AG, Geneva), PCMag says P2P is supported on its paid plans, and torrenting roundups also credit it with port forwarding that helps seeding. One deliberate design difference: Proton’s servers are not RAM-only — it argues full-disk encryption (LUKS AES-256) with off-site keys protects users better, and it publishes the reasoning.

The weakness is renewal math. $2.99 a month buys the first 24 months for $71.76, then Proton VPN Plus renews at $83.88 a year — $6.99 a month, more than double the advertised rate. Its free tier is real but not for this use case: P2P support sits on the paid plans.

4. Mullvad — best for anonymity

Mullvad is the pick when you don’t want the VPN to know who you are. An account is a randomly generated number — no email, no name — and you can pay with cash by post or Monero. Pricing is a flat €5 a month (about $5.71 as of 23 Jul 2026), unchanged since 2009, with no intro-rate games at any term length. Servers run WireGuard only (OpenVPN was removed on 15 Jan 2026) from RAM with no persistent storage, and Cure53’s fourth infrastructure audit in June 2024 looked specifically for anything that could compromise a user’s traffic anonymity and found no such issues. To be precise: it is a security audit of the servers, not a formal no-logs attestation. Mullvad is a Swedish company, and its help pages state Swedish data-retention rules don’t cover VPN providers.

For torrenting specifically, there are limits. Port forwarding was removed in May 2023, so seeding from behind strict NAT suffers. vpnMentor notes the smaller network — 50 countries on Mullvad’s live server list — makes speeds vary more by location. You get 5 devices, and the refund window is 14 days, excluding cash and crypto payments. Mullvad trades convenience for anonymity, knowingly.

5. Surfshark — best for unlimited devices on a budget

Surfshark’s case is breadth per dollar: unlimited simultaneous connections, P2P allowed on every server per PCMag, and WireGuard across a 100-country network on 10 Gbps ports, all on RAM-only servers. Deloitte issued its second no-logs assurance report in 2025, after the first in 2023. At $2.49 a month — $67.23 for the first 27 months — it is the cheapest of the six upfront, renewing at $79 a year.

Three things to know before buying. None of our sources state whether Surfshark offers port forwarding, so seeders should assume no. The Deloitte reports are only readable from inside a customer account, and Surfshark’s terms reserve the right to test different renewal prices on different users. Structurally, the company is Dutch (Surfshark B.V.) but its terms are governed by British Virgin Islands law, and it merged with Nord Security — NordVPN’s parent — in 2022, though both say they run on separate infrastructure. Surfshark has a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first purchase.

6. CyberGhost — best refund window

CyberGhost is the low-risk trial: 45 days of money-back cover on plans of six months or longer — the longest here, against 30 days for most rivals — though only 14 days on its own monthly plan. vpnMentor and Gizmodo highlight its dedicated torrenting servers, and the fundamentals check out: a RAM-only fleet, WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2, a Romania base outside the 5/9/14 Eyes alliances, and a third no-logs audit by Deloitte Audit Romania in 2025 with the assurance report downloadable. The 26-month deal is $2.19 a month ($56.94 upfront) and renews at $56.94 a year — about $4.75 a month, roughly double, yet still the second-cheapest renewal of the six. Port forwarding is not stated in any of our sources. CyberGhost covers 7 devices.

What torrenting really costs after the intro rate

The advertised monthly rate and the renewal rate are different products. Both sides, from each provider’s own checkout and pricing pages on 23 Jul 2026:

VPN	Advertised rate	First bill	Renews at
NordVPN	$3.49/mo (2 yr + 3 mo)	$94.23 for 27 months	$139.08/yr — about $11.59/mo
Surfshark	$2.49/mo (2 yr + 3 mo)	$67.23 for 27 months	$79.00/yr
Proton VPN	$2.99/mo (2 yr)	$71.76 for 24 months	$83.88/yr — $6.99/mo
Private Internet Access	$2.03/mo (39 mo)	about $79 for 39 months	$79 every 3 years
CyberGhost	$2.19/mo (26 mo)	$56.94 for 26 months	$56.94/yr — about $4.75/mo
ExpressVPN	$3.19/mo (2 yr + 4 mo)	$89.32 for 28 months	$99.95/yr
Mullvad	€5/mo flat ($5.71)	$5.71 each month	Unchanged since 2009

Rates are each provider’s cheapest VPN tier: NordVPN Basic, Surfshark Starter, Proton VPN Plus, ExpressVPN Basic. Only two escape the intro-rate pattern: Mullvad, which has charged the same flat fee since 2009, and PIA, whose $79-every-three-years renewal stays close to its intro price. Everyone else at least doubles per month — NordVPN more than triples — once the first term ends.

Why isn’t ExpressVPN ranked?

ExpressVPN sits near the top of most torrenting roundups — vpnMentor emphasizes P2P support on all of its servers plus automatic obfuscation — and its trust stack is genuinely strong: RAM-only TrustedServer infrastructure and a KPMG no-logs assurance report covering its claims as of 28 Feb 2025. We left it out of the ranked list for a timing reason and a feature reason. Timing: purchases made during its sweepstakes promo, 11 Jul to 11 Aug 2026, are excluded from the 30-day money-back guarantee — buy today and there is no refund window at all. Feature: vpnMentor notes its port forwarding is router-based, not in-app. If you want it anyway, the 2-year Basic plan is $3.19 a month ($89.32 for 28 months), renewing at $99.95 a year — but wait until after 11 Aug 2026 so the guarantee applies.

How we picked

Figures are from provider pricing and checkout pages, terms of service, and audit announcements, as of 23 Jul 2026. The ranking weighs, in order:

• Audited no-logs policy. Who audited, how recently, and whether you can read the report without logging in.
• Port forwarding. The seeding feature most lists skip — taken from vendor pages where published, and from named reviews (PCMag, Tom’s Guide, vpnMentor, Gizmodo) where not.
• Protocol and server hygiene. WireGuard availability and RAM-only servers, or, in Proton’s case, a published alternative design.
• Price honesty. The real first bill and the real renewal, not the advertised monthly rate.
• Refund window. How long you have to change your mind, and the exclusions hiding in the terms.

We run no speed benchmarks. Where speed matters to a pick, the claim is attributed to the named review that made it.

Who should skip these picks

• You want a free VPN. TechNadu’s summary of Reddit threads is blunt: free VPNs usually lack the privacy, security, and performance torrenting needs, and Proton’s free tier excludes P2P. See the best free VPNs for what free tiers can and can’t do.
• You need OpenVPN on a router. Mullvad removed OpenVPN entirely in January 2026, which breaks third-party and router setups. PIA, Surfshark, and CyberGhost all keep it.
• Your real goal is privacy beyond torrenting. Jurisdiction, payment anonymity, and audit depth then matter more than P2P features — start with the most private VPNs compared.

Frequently asked questions

Is torrenting with a VPN legal?

Using a VPN is legal in most countries, and torrenting is legal when the content is freely licensed. Downloading or sharing copyrighted material without permission stays illegal with or without a VPN, and even providers that allow P2P prohibit copyright infringement in their terms.

Does a VPN make torrenting safe?

It helps with privacy, not everything. The VPN encrypts your traffic and hides your real IP address from other peers in the swarm. It does not scan torrent files for malware, and it does not make infringing downloads legal.

Do I need a kill switch for torrenting?

Yes. If the VPN drops mid-download, your client keeps transferring over your normal connection and your real IP address shows up in the swarm. A kill switch blocks all traffic the moment the tunnel fails, so a dropped connection stays private.

Which VPNs allow torrenting on every server?

PC World reports that all NordVPN servers work with P2P, PCMag says Surfshark permits P2P file sharing on all of its servers, and torrenting roundups describe Mullvad as allowing P2P traffic network-wide. Some providers restrict torrents to specific servers, so check before you connect.

Are free VPNs good for torrenting?

Generally no. TechNadu's summary of Reddit threads finds free VPNs usually lack the privacy, security, and performance torrenting needs, and Proton VPN's P2P support sits on its paid plans. The cheapest predictable option in our comparison is Mullvad's flat €5 a month.

Which torrenting VPNs support port forwarding?

Private Internet Access is the clearest yes, per multiple 2026 roundups, and several also credit Proton VPN. Mullvad removed port forwarding in May 2023, ExpressVPN offers it only through router setups per vpnMentor, and Tom's Guide reports NordVPN does not offer it at all.